The Beatles arriving in Hamburg. Malcolm McLaren digging Johnny Rotten's shirt. Ralf Hütter finding the on button for his electric organ. Sometimes single moments can shift the direction of popular music in ways never before anticipated. Will the shearing of Francis Rossi's ponytail prove to be one of them?

No, of course not. But the fact that the Status Quo frontman has, after 35 years, chosen to get rid of his trademark rat tail is a moment for pause, contemplation and, most of all, thanks.

The Sun, in a soaraway scoop, reports on the incident today, running world exclusive pictures and revealing that the onset of male pattern baldness is to blame for the removal of the iconic mop.

"It looked fabulous – I felt like a fashion icon," recalls Rossi of his locks. "But in the past few years my hair has got so thin that there's not enough to work into a decent ponytail.

"A few weeks ago it dawned on me that I looked ridiculous. So I decided to forget about clinging to my youth and that it was time to grow old gracefully."

Some might observe that that time has long passed. However, self-deprecation has never been a problem for the band whose last album was entitled In Search of the Fourth Chord. So while there may not be enough hair to work into a ponytail, might the experience provide enough material to work into a new album?